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Joao Plata scored once and set up another goal in his Major League Soccer debut yesterday as Toronto FC beat the Houston Dynamo, 2-1, before a crowd of 20,259 at BMO Field.

After Toronto forward Nick Soolsma was taken down in the Houston penalty area by Andre Hainault, Plata, a 19-year-old Ecuadorian with lightning-quick feet, stepped up to the penalty spot. He deposited a shot into the top left corner past helpless goalkeeper Tally Hall in the 50th minute.

Plata then turned playmaker in the 81st minute, sending a through ball to second-half substitute Maicon Santos, who gave Toronto (2-3-4) a 2-0 lead.

Plata, who was given a rousing ovation when he was subbed out in second-half stoppage time, was the most dangerous player on the field all night and thought he’d earned a second penalty kick in the 61st minute. The 6-foot-2-inch striker moved in on Hall, who appeared to bring him down. Referee Jorge Gonzalez initially pointed to the spot and gave Hall a yellow card.

But after conferring with the linesman, Gonzalez reversed his decision and awarded Houston a free kick, apparently believing that Plata dived.